Where the streets have no name.

At four a.m., my obsession with postmodernism continues...

Street fashion: Pull out your grandma's shawls and your uncle's oxfords because it seems the uglier, older, and grungier you look, the better style you have. Personally, I think I find this trend quite lovely. The reinvention of what has sat buried in attics from days long ago needed to come out and play with all the hedonists of our day. Part of me is thrilled I can now wear my obscenely colored hi-tops with a carefully misbuttoned silk blouse bunched under suspenders and still be all the rage! (I will also admit having my photo snapped by a street fashion photographer while (unsuccessfully) attempting to sneak into Sao Paulo Fashion Week was probably one of the prouder moments of my life thus far.) Seeing Comme des Garcons in H&M aisles last season made it official for me: when a fashion designer as innovative as Rei Kawakubo has reached the masses, permanent change is on its way...but should we look forward to it?

My verdict on street fashion is a little murky for a few reasons. First of all, it kills me to see these kids try to sneak over into the hipster world. Don't think I didn't notice your plaid square scarf and Chuck's Mister I'm too Good for Fashion Trends. With everyone jumping on the street fashion boat, it seems people attempt zealously to look effortless, an oxymoron I simply cannot ignore. If you can't rock it, please do us all a favor and either beg some hipsters to lend you some of their cool, or just stick to your mass produced, prestyled, thoughtless clothes. Thanks.

Secondly, I recently had a discussion with some friends on the difference between dressing for you gender and dressing for the opposite sex. Can women sport street fashion and still flatter their best assets? I may have to conduct an experiment on this...from my general experience, keeping with this trend requires sacrificing sex appeal for both genders. Ladies, you may think you like it, but eventually won't you question why those boys wear tighter pants then you? And won't you swear you have a haircut identical to that bass player you saw onstage last night? Gentlemen, the general agreement says women look sexy in your white button down when lounging around the house...but does she look as good if she only wears bizarre silhouettes ballooning out around her figure? How long can we bear to wear thick rimmed glasses when our eyesight is perfectly fine? When will we embrace sleek electronic devices and remember why we stopped carrying around boomboxes on our shoulders in the first place? Is fashion on its way to eliminating the differences between genders for good? If so, I definately just overpayed for that push-up bra...


I am confident that I along with half the girls I know own these shades.
"You'd be surprised at how much it costs to look this cheap!" Ms. Parton herself. -Caroline

I'm beginning to believe men actually may be from Mars.

To avoid the longest post in the century, I will not get into the seemingly endless male behaviors which either confuse, appall, or fascinate me. I wish I could understand the basis of their appeal, and ask me if it's remotely possible to stay away. My most recent confusion is really getting to me though, and perhaps some wiser being out there could shed some light?

WHY, WHY would you get some girls number at a club and then text and call her nonstop? Before I further divulge into this let me just throw in some details:
1. These boys dance with various people throughout the night. You cannot POSSIBLY have that much time and interest in contacting all these females.
2. As club dwellers, they like to show off their very best: be it money, clothes, dance skills, social connections, sky-high bar tabs, etc. Other then the trully hopeless, they mostly have at least a few redeeming qualities and therefore have NO need to act so desperate and creepy.
3. I am willing to bet there is a perfectly cute, sweet, and smart girl ripping her hair out waiting for any one of these boys to text her. Yet they insist on texting complete strangers they barely know, asking them all about their life, and then asking when they're gonna hang out.

...here's just a thought. Maybe I'm crazy, but why wouldn't you call the girl waiting for you? She'd actually like being texted or contacted by you and not laugh and show are her friends what a loser with no game you are (Yes. This really does happen. A lot.) And the girl you're texting so desperately doesn't really care and is also probably waiting for another guy she's actually into (Or hey, might even know?) to call her. So why continue on this vicious road? We only humiliate ourselves and make meaningless conections at the cost of people who trully care about us. So why. Just...why?

The good life, it feels like Philly?

I have conflicting feelings about Philadelphia: constantly gray, filthy, home of possibly the WORST traffic engineering in the world, and with a nightlife leaving quite a bit to be desired, I sometimes write off Philly as a black sheep amongst other amazing urban cities. Easier said than done, I believe we should refrain from judging anything before giving it a decent chance. Being said, I owe an apology to Philly. If you look hard enough, you can find gems unique to Philadelphia, and I can honestly say I look forward to stumbling upon more. So here's to Filthadelphia, may you continue to be endearing grimy.

A few of my favorite Philly finds and claims to fame:

1. The Fabric Workshop and Museum.

Believe me, textiles don't exactly get me jumping for joy. When I heard about this, I figured I'd be showered with yellowing relics you wish you could forget once and for all. I found instead an admission price so cheap it's almost unheard of ($3) and some really impressive artwork. Currently a Robert Wilson exhibit is on display, and definately worth looking at pretty closely. Amongst other things, I saw an actual flea circus, and LIFE-SIZE INFLATIBLE WHALE, and some really inspiring prints. The Fabric Workshop and Museum offers apprenticeships for high schools students, an impressive group of resident artists, and a girft shop with the most adorable and unique pieces I've seen in awhile. Definately a worthy Philly find.

VOOM- Robert Wilson

The Fabric Workshop and Museum

1214 Arch Street

215.561.8888

2. The Roots

Hip-hop artists...with a band? I still don't understand why more artists haven't experimented with this brilliant combination! Looking at my poster bearing Questlove as I type this, I can fairly say The Roots, hailing from Philly of course, are one of those groups which allow me to respect and love hip-hop regardless of the particularly heinous concoctions we hear overplayed on mainstream radio. Check out "Here I Come", "Break You Off", "You Got Me", and "The Seed".

3. First Friday

On the First Friday of each month, the 40+ art galleries in Old City are all open for free to the public from 5-9. F.U.E.L, my personal favorite, has great talent both musically and artistically. They promote young artists (the U standing for "Undergraduate") and if you're a pop culture junkie, the site is where MTV's Real World Philadelphia was filmed.

the f.u.e.l. collection

249 arch street

.215.592.8400

4. Ms. Tootsie's

Words cannot describe the experience I felt after eating at this soul food cafe- and as a vegetarian I didn't even taste their very best dishes.. Beyond their gorgeous interior design and friendly and helpful staff, the food is completely scrumpious and ecstasy inducing. The setting is upscale, but the mood is so pleasantly casual and you can't help but be drawn to the laughter and dancing in this South Street restaurant. The tropical iced tea is basically the nectar of the gods, and their coconut cake is flawlessy...and don't even get me started on the entrees.

Ms. Tootsie's Soul Food Cafe

1314 South Street

215.731.9045

5. Street Art

I love street art. I feel happy whenever I accidently stumble upon some, it's so ambiguous and raw: I love the energy. On my most recent assignment for my photography class, I was instructed to to find and photograph street art in its various forms. I ventured to Cecil B. Moore Avenue...one dead rat and a handful of loud-mouthed car mechanics later, I found some interesting images. Though the endless R.I.P's are a constant reminder of the neighborhood's history, the colors are so vibrant and the locations so unconventional (sidewalks, fire hydrants, windows, etc.) they still felt thoughtful, hopeful, and potent. Personally, I like wondering who made this art, why, and how they get to some really awkward places to work. No matter how simple the design, the stories behind them are so complex they become something more. And not all of it is simple- I have a lot of admiration for artists who can manipulate such difficult media and still produce ornate, wild creations.

youtube killed the videostar?

In honor of my very first college snow day (as far as my memory recalls?) I occupied my time with the obviously appropriate activities: hip-hop abs, fuzzle, and so on…it seems appropriate, however, to dedicate this entry to one of the very best ways to spend massive amounts of time indoors when the weather prevents anything better from happening: YoutTube. I honestly could not tell you why my fascination with youtube is so extensive, or why certain videos have stuck in my memory for so long, but I think we need to be thankful for whatever divine being is responsible for snowdays and youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtX8nswnUKU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLSKcZ8xFtw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEggoXwoXEY

No, this isn't quite youtube, but it is on bust.com, which you may also want to check out, seeing as it is quite a kickass magazine.
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=54837422509&h=U1_QF&u=ezTN2
http://www.bust.com/
http://www.candycaneapps.com/fuzzle/ (*you should probably not play this game ever. you may not stop anytime soon.)


In more personal news, today March 2, 2009 was the second official bikini day. It is a day for antsy folk everywhere to express their desire to be somewhere better (SoFLa being the best of course q: ) during such OBSCENENLY cold times. So here’s to bikinis, hitchhiking, and befriending baffled security guards inquiring why you aren’t wearing significantly more clothing.

Andddd Happy Birthday to a Miss Lindsay Beach tomorrow. Thank you for always making me smile (:



of cabbages and kings, Caroline.